Good Evening again from City of Hope,
Today was a great day in Duarte, CA.! Beautiful weather, beautiful sunrise and sunset, even amidst the smog colored skies. Today at 3 pm, Mom was moved from ICU to a regular room with a better view (mountains instead of the 605 freeway) Our nurse today, Miss Sue, was amazing and made the transition super easy. They have an award program here called The Daisy Award, which is given to exceptional nurses-Mom wants to nominate Miss Sue-I guess I have a letter to write! The nurses here in 4West are equally amazing and to top it off, this wing is QUIET-the bells and whistles of the ICU are gone. Well, most of the bells and whistles, Mom is still hooked up to a dozen different wires.
The physical therapists are beginning to realize that Cece Green is one of the strongest women on the planet, as well as stubborn and independent! She not only stood up twice today, she walked down the halls of the ICU 8 times! Seriously, that is crazy, considering the extent of her surgery. They also took her oxygen off during the daytime, her blood pressure and oxygen levels are looking great!
The next big hurdle is the reason for the title of this post. She has not eaten any food since Monday morning-tomorrow will be six days with no food and five days with no water. She is allowed to eat ice chips, but nothing else until the farts begin....which seems to be taking quite a long time. Her attitude is incredible, especially because we all know how it feels when we skip a meal. Personally, I can go from calm, nice Sarah to super bitch if I miss a meal! Hopefully, tomorrow we will see some action in the fart department. Wish Mom luck!
Love,
Sarah
Friday, July 30, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Life in the ICU
Good Evening Family and Friends,
Today was a pretty good day, as good as it gets in the ICU. City of Hope hospital has the most caring and competent staff. Mom is in good hands here.
I have received many phone calls asking how she is doing, so I wanted to give you a run down of what a typical day looks like for Mom in the ICU.
The Doctors have placed her in a special bed, it is designed to not put any pressure on her bottom. She HATES the bed, she tells me every single moment, she hates that damn bed. She is not allowed to bend at the waist for two weeks, but the physical therapists have to stand her up twice a day. The first time was scary, unknown and scary. How do you move someone from lying to standing without bending? Its actually quite simple (with some strong people) They make her stand up for about ten minutes while she is bear hugging someone. She LOVES it. She feels great to be out of bed and on her own two feet. Pnemonia is very easy to catch after surgery, so a couple times a day, someone comes in and does breathing exercises with her. She likes that too. The Doctors come in periodically to check on her incisions and flexibility and pain. They gave her a pain button she can press herself-it is really helping. Then there are the nurses that come in and change everything, drainage lines, change IV's, change her position in bed, everything, they change everything all the time. Sleep is getting better, but not great. Hopefully tonight she will get some rest. I slipped the on call nurse a $100 and asked him not to bother her (thanks for the donation Mike Minnis!)
Lastly, I am there to bother her, braid her hair, and massage her feet. She sends her love to everyone. Thank you for all the warm wishes and prayers. Checking my email during the day maintains my sanity.
Tomorrow, they may move her out of ICU and into a regular room-that means she is getting better!
All our love from Duarte.
Sarah and Cece
Some were asking where to send cards-please send to:
Sarah Green
350 Academy St
Bishop, CA. 93514
Today was a pretty good day, as good as it gets in the ICU. City of Hope hospital has the most caring and competent staff. Mom is in good hands here.
I have received many phone calls asking how she is doing, so I wanted to give you a run down of what a typical day looks like for Mom in the ICU.
The Doctors have placed her in a special bed, it is designed to not put any pressure on her bottom. She HATES the bed, she tells me every single moment, she hates that damn bed. She is not allowed to bend at the waist for two weeks, but the physical therapists have to stand her up twice a day. The first time was scary, unknown and scary. How do you move someone from lying to standing without bending? Its actually quite simple (with some strong people) They make her stand up for about ten minutes while she is bear hugging someone. She LOVES it. She feels great to be out of bed and on her own two feet. Pnemonia is very easy to catch after surgery, so a couple times a day, someone comes in and does breathing exercises with her. She likes that too. The Doctors come in periodically to check on her incisions and flexibility and pain. They gave her a pain button she can press herself-it is really helping. Then there are the nurses that come in and change everything, drainage lines, change IV's, change her position in bed, everything, they change everything all the time. Sleep is getting better, but not great. Hopefully tonight she will get some rest. I slipped the on call nurse a $100 and asked him not to bother her (thanks for the donation Mike Minnis!)
Lastly, I am there to bother her, braid her hair, and massage her feet. She sends her love to everyone. Thank you for all the warm wishes and prayers. Checking my email during the day maintains my sanity.
Tomorrow, they may move her out of ICU and into a regular room-that means she is getting better!
All our love from Duarte.
Sarah and Cece
Some were asking where to send cards-please send to:
Sarah Green
350 Academy St
Bishop, CA. 93514
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Recovery!
Just a quick update. The surgery concluded last night around 9 pm - a 14 hour surgery!
She is in the Intensive Care Unit and will remain there for a few days and then be transferred to her own room for the remainder of her stay. She is strong and stable, but not awake yet. She will be sedated pretty heavily until later today.
The cancer had spread to the bladder, the surgeon removed it, as well as the rectum and her sacrum. The bladder removal was unexpected but you can live without one. Modern Medicine is very interesting. The rest of the surgery went pretty well, any surgery where you wake up and you are still breathing is good for me.
Recovery is the next obstacle. If you are planning on visiting, please call me prior to driving to the LA area and we can work out accommodation arrangements.
THANK YOU for all the love, energy and prayers. Keep it coming!
More information to follow as she continues to get better. Thanks again.
Sarah
She is in the Intensive Care Unit and will remain there for a few days and then be transferred to her own room for the remainder of her stay. She is strong and stable, but not awake yet. She will be sedated pretty heavily until later today.
The cancer had spread to the bladder, the surgeon removed it, as well as the rectum and her sacrum. The bladder removal was unexpected but you can live without one. Modern Medicine is very interesting. The rest of the surgery went pretty well, any surgery where you wake up and you are still breathing is good for me.
Recovery is the next obstacle. If you are planning on visiting, please call me prior to driving to the LA area and we can work out accommodation arrangements.
THANK YOU for all the love, energy and prayers. Keep it coming!
More information to follow as she continues to get better. Thanks again.
Sarah
Monday, July 26, 2010
All you need is love, and maybe a 12 hour surgery and some chemo....
Good Evening Friends and Family,
Twas the night before surgery and all through the hotel room, not a creature was stirring, except for Cece's digestive tract.....Oh yes, anyone who has had a colonoscopy can relate to what has to happen the night before to "clean" you out in preparation for surgery. Enough jokes Sarah, this is serious business.
Ok, I would first like to thank everyone who came together for the Cancer loves my Mommy Benefit Yard Sale held in Bishop this past Saturday. The community of Bishop never ceases to amaze me-the generous donations that were given to my Mom are causing my eyes to tear up right now (or maybe that's the smell coming from the bathroom, ewww!) Ok, I lied, one more joke! I'm finished now. Seriously, you know who you are, there are too many of you to list, but THANK YOU so very much!
On a more serious note, surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM. The doctors have informed us the surgery should last anywhere from 10-12 hours. A little more detail on the surgery, its actually 3 surgeries in one day. Three separate surgical teams will be performing different procedures.
The first team will work on preparing the rectal area for removal of the tumor, moving blood vessels and that sort of thing.
The second team will remove the sacrum, rectum and all surrounding tissue that looks suspicious -sneaky cancer cells like to hide out!
The third team is plastics, Dr. Andersen. I was hoping for a McSteamy, but got a Dr. Weber (all you Grey's fans will hopefully get that) He will rebuild some of the walls she is losing to the cancer with a really cool procedure that deserves its own post.
As soon as we get word, I will post so everyone knows how the surgery went.
Please keep her in your thoughts tomorrow. As much as I joke, this is a very serious and complicated surgery. The risk of infection is very high and there is no guarantee the doctors can remove all the cancer. I have to find hope and laughter-the stress is overwhelming and I would be losing my mind if I stayed serious all the time.
Thank you for your love and support during this very difficult time. You really do only need love.....all our love to you from Duarte, CA.
Goodnight.
Sarah
Twas the night before surgery and all through the hotel room, not a creature was stirring, except for Cece's digestive tract.....Oh yes, anyone who has had a colonoscopy can relate to what has to happen the night before to "clean" you out in preparation for surgery. Enough jokes Sarah, this is serious business.
Ok, I would first like to thank everyone who came together for the Cancer loves my Mommy Benefit Yard Sale held in Bishop this past Saturday. The community of Bishop never ceases to amaze me-the generous donations that were given to my Mom are causing my eyes to tear up right now (or maybe that's the smell coming from the bathroom, ewww!) Ok, I lied, one more joke! I'm finished now. Seriously, you know who you are, there are too many of you to list, but THANK YOU so very much!
On a more serious note, surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM. The doctors have informed us the surgery should last anywhere from 10-12 hours. A little more detail on the surgery, its actually 3 surgeries in one day. Three separate surgical teams will be performing different procedures.
The first team will work on preparing the rectal area for removal of the tumor, moving blood vessels and that sort of thing.
The second team will remove the sacrum, rectum and all surrounding tissue that looks suspicious -sneaky cancer cells like to hide out!
The third team is plastics, Dr. Andersen. I was hoping for a McSteamy, but got a Dr. Weber (all you Grey's fans will hopefully get that) He will rebuild some of the walls she is losing to the cancer with a really cool procedure that deserves its own post.
As soon as we get word, I will post so everyone knows how the surgery went.
Please keep her in your thoughts tomorrow. As much as I joke, this is a very serious and complicated surgery. The risk of infection is very high and there is no guarantee the doctors can remove all the cancer. I have to find hope and laughter-the stress is overwhelming and I would be losing my mind if I stayed serious all the time.
Thank you for your love and support during this very difficult time. You really do only need love.....all our love to you from Duarte, CA.
Goodnight.
Sarah
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
My Mom has Anal Cancer-What a pain in the ass
Literally, a pain in the ass. That is a phrase I will never again use lightly. For those that know me, publishing a blog about cancer may seem totally out of character. I'm not a writer and I would rather keep life's little bumps private, but this is different. Life's little bump this time is Cancer, Cancer we thought was gone, Cancer with major surgery attached. My first question three years ago when my Mom, Cecelia, was originally diagnosed was WHY? Why her and why now? It was November 2006 and her husband (my father) had just passed away. How many depressing events have to happen in one year? Our initial reaction was Holy Shit, my Mom has cancer, but once we accepted it, we were off to see Oncologists and Radiation/Chemo technicians. After 4 months of treatment, the Cancer was gone, but my Mom was left with a "temporary" colostomy (poo in a bag!). Fast forward a few years and here we are today. Its back and its aggresive. The only treatment option left is surgery-she will have her Rectum, all surrounding tissue and her tailbone removed. Hopefully, the surgery will remove all the cancer. If not, Chemotherapy is in our future. So, what do I hope to accomplish here?
I need HELP.
I don't usually ask for help. I'm a Libra, strong willed and independent, but I know I am not alone in this fight. My family has given everything to fight this, but my Mom needs more. I need advice from everyone in my life, friends and strangers. My Mom has to spend 2-3 weeks in the hospital. How do you keep someone happy and hopeful after surgery? I am not a comedian, but I do know that laughter is the best medicine. Cancer jokes anyone? I'm trying to compile a list of great songs to add to my IPOD for my Mom to listen too-any suggestions? What about book recommendations, movies? I told you I needed help! My old military friends always have said "Its not what you know, but WHO you know". I am reaching out today for help - remaining hopeful that the bonds I have made in the past will come back to help me now in my family's time of need.
I have done so much research the last few weeks and would like to share some of that information today and continue to learn and share more each day. Here is a link to a Time Magazine article from May of this year, entitled Cancer, Cancer Everywhere. [TIME]
Lastly, I realize that generosity can be given in so many different ways. Please know that my family is incredibly thankful for all the love and donations that have already been given and anything that will be received in the future. Thank you!
I need HELP.
I don't usually ask for help. I'm a Libra, strong willed and independent, but I know I am not alone in this fight. My family has given everything to fight this, but my Mom needs more. I need advice from everyone in my life, friends and strangers. My Mom has to spend 2-3 weeks in the hospital. How do you keep someone happy and hopeful after surgery? I am not a comedian, but I do know that laughter is the best medicine. Cancer jokes anyone? I'm trying to compile a list of great songs to add to my IPOD for my Mom to listen too-any suggestions? What about book recommendations, movies? I told you I needed help! My old military friends always have said "Its not what you know, but WHO you know". I am reaching out today for help - remaining hopeful that the bonds I have made in the past will come back to help me now in my family's time of need.
I have done so much research the last few weeks and would like to share some of that information today and continue to learn and share more each day. Here is a link to a Time Magazine article from May of this year, entitled Cancer, Cancer Everywhere. [TIME]
Lastly, I realize that generosity can be given in so many different ways. Please know that my family is incredibly thankful for all the love and donations that have already been given and anything that will be received in the future. Thank you!
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